Arab Families’ Stories of Migration from War Zones: Gender Roles and Family Relations in Flux

Abstract

This paper presents qualitative research investigating changes of gender roles and family relations across war-initiated migration journeys for Syrian and Iraqi refugees now settled in Canada. The impact of gendered cultural narratives and social norms is evident in gender role changes in spousal and parental relationships. Refugees story their family and relational lives against the social, cultural, and political backdrop of war, migration journey, different social norms related to family roles and gender, and across time. These findings extend understanding of how persons migrating from Arab countries across the globe are reshaping cultural narratives about family, parenting, and marital relationships.

Keywords:

• family migration
• family relationships
• gender roles
• parenting
• spousal relations

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Doha International Family Institute, Doha, Qatar.